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Health Benefits
By Joe Leech, Dietitian | 15,093 views
The use of herbs and spices has been incredibly important throughout history.
Many were celebrated for their medicinal properties, well before culinary use.
Modern science has now shown that many of them do indeed carry remarkable health benefits.
Here are 10 of the worlds healthiest herbs and spices, supported by research.
1. Cinnamon Lowers Blood Sugar Levels and Has a Powerful Anti-Diabetic Effect
Cinnamon is a popular spice, found in all sorts of recipes and baked goods.
It contains a compound called cinnamaldehyde, which is responsible for cinnamons medicinal properties (1).
Cinnamon has potent antioxidant activity, helps fight inflammation and has been shown to lower cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood (2, 3, 4).
But where cinnamon really shines is in its effects on blood sugar levels.
Cinnamon can lower blood sugar by several mechanisms, including by slowing the breakdown of carbs in the digestive tract and improving insulin sensitivity
(5, 6, 7, 8).
Studies have shown that cinnamon can lower fasting blood sugars by 10-29% in diabetic patients, which is a significant amount (9, 10, 11).
The effective dose is typically 0.5-2 teaspoons of cinnamon per day, or 1-6 grams.
You can read more about the impressive health benefits of cinnamon in this article.
Bottom Line: Cinnamon has numerous health benefits, and is particularly effective at lowering blood sugar levels.
Sage gets its name from the Latin word Salvere, which means to save.
It had a strong reputation for its healing properties during the middle ages, and was even used to help prevent the plague (12).
Current research indicates that sage may be able to improve brain function and memory, especially in people with Alzheimers disease.
Alzheimers disease is accompanied by a drop in the level of acetylcholine, a chemical messenger in the brain. Sage inhibits the breakdown of acetylcholine (13).
In a 4-month study of 42 individuals with mild to moderate Alzheimers disease, sage extract was shown to produce significant improvements in brain function
(14).
Other studies have also shown that sage can improve memory function in healthy people, both young and old (15, 16).
Bottom Line: There is promising evidence that sage extract can improve brain and memory function, especially in individuals with Alzheimers disease.
No to be confused with regular basil or thai basil, holy basil is considered a sacred herb in India.
Studies show that holy basil can inhibit the growth of a range of bacteria, yeasts and molds (38, 39).
One small study also found that it can boost function of the immune system by increasing certain immune cells in the blood (40).
Holy basil is also linked to reduced blood sugar levels before and after meals, as well as treating anxiety and anxiety-related depression (41, 42).
However, these studies were quite small, and more research is needed before any recommendations can be made.
Bottom Line: Holy basil appears to improve immune function and inhibit the growth of bacteria, yeasts and molds.
6. Cayenne Pepper Contains Capsaicin, Which Helps Reduce Appetite and May Have Anti-Cancer Properties
Cayenne pepper is a type of chili pepper used to prepare spicy dishes.
The active ingredient in it is called capsaicin, which has been shown to reduce appetite and increase fat burning in many studies (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48).
For this reason, it is a common ingredient in many commercial weight loss supplements.
One study found that adding 1 gram of red pepper to meals reduced appetite and increased fat burning in people who did not regularly eat peppers (49).
However, there was no effect in people who were accustomed to eating spicy food, indicating that a tolerance to the effects can build up.
Some animal studies have also found capsaicin to combat certain forms of cancer, including lung, liver and prostate cancer (50, 51, 52, 53).
Of course, these observed anti-cancer effects are far from being proven in humans, so take all of this with a big grain of salt.
Bottom Line: Cayenne pepper is very rich in a substance called capsaicin, which reduces appetite and boosts fat burning. It has also shown anti-cancer potential
in animal studies.
Fenugreek was commonly used in Ayurveda, particularly to enhance libido and masculinity.
While its effects on testosterone levels remaininconclusive, fenugreek does seem to have beneficial effects on blood sugar.
It contains the plant protein 4-hydroxyisoleucine, which can improve the function of the hormone insulin (63).
Many human studies have shown that at least 1 gram of fenugreek extract per day can lower blood sugar levels, particularly in diabetics (64, 65, 66, 67, 68).
Bottom Line: Fenugreek has been shown to improve the function of insulin, leading to significant reductions in blood sugar levels.